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Why is Canada’s NDP supporting Israeli racism?

Should a social democratic party’s spokesperson on foreign affairs address the Israel lobby’s top annual event and legitimize an explicitly racist institution? These are questions those currently vying for leadership of Canada’s New Democratic Party must be pressed to answer.

According to the Canadian Parliament’s recently released disclosure of members’ sponsored travel, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) paid for the New Democratic Party’s foreign affairs spokesperson Hélène Laverdière to speak on a panel at its conference last year.

Months after her AIPAC speech, Laverdière participated in a Jewish National Fund tree-planting ceremony in Jerusalem. During a visit to Israel with Canada’s governor general, Laverdière attended a ceremony with the fund’s world chairman Danny Atar and a number of other top officials.

The Jewish National Fund controls 13 percent of Israel’s land, which was mostly seized from Palestinians forced from their homes by Zionist militias during the 1947-1948 ethnic cleansing known to Palestinians as the Nakba, Arabic for catastrophe.

The JNF systematically discriminates against Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up a fifth of the population. According to a UN report, Jewish National Fund lands are “chartered to benefit Jews exclusively,” which has led to an “institutionalized form of discrimination.”

Institutionalized discrimination

Echoing the UN, a 2012 US State Department report detailing “institutional and societal discrimination” in Israel says the Jewish National Fund “statutes prohibit sale or lease of land to non-Jews.”

If Laverdière doesn’t trust the State Department or the UN’s assessments she could just read the Jewish National Fund’s own website.

The court “has been required to consider petitions that delegitimize the Jewish People’s continued ownership” of the land. The website states that these lawsuits were “directed against the fundamental principles” on which the Jewish National Fund was founded.

The petitions to the court amount to a demand that the JNF, “which serves as trustee for the lands of the Jewish People,” no longer have the “right to make use of these lands for the continuation of the Zionist enterprise in the Land of Israel.”

It adds that over 80 percent of Israeli Jews “prefer the definition of Israel as a Jewish state, rather than as the state of all its citizens.”

It is a moral outrage that the New Democratic Party foreign affairs spokesperson would legitimize an organization that practices discriminatory land-use policies outlawed in Canada six decades ago.

Laverdière legitimizing the Jewish National Fund and AIPAC reflects the backroom politics that dominate the New Democratic Party. In fact, the issue of Palestinian rights goes to the very heart of democracy within the party.

Palestine supporters purged

During the 2015 general election, the New Democratic Party ousted several individuals from running or contesting nominations for parliament because they had defended Palestinian rights on social media.

In the most high profile incident, Morgan Wheeldon was dismissed as a party candidate in Nova Scotia because he accused Israel of committing war crimes during its summer 2014 invasion of Gaza.

Leadership candidates must commit to respecting local party democracy and ending the purge against those who defend Palestinian rights. Standing up for Palestinian rights also represents popular will.

Canadians support BDS

A February poll confirms that New Democratic Party members – and most Canadians – are critical of Israel and open to the Palestinian civil society call for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) on that country.

According to the poll of 1,000 Canadians, almost 80 percent of those who expressed an opinion said they believe the Palestinians’ call for a boycott is “reasonable.”

Eighty-four percent of New Democratic Party supporters responded they were open to sanctioning Israel.

Leadership contenders must be pressed to make their position on Palestinian rights reflect members’ views. A 16 May Facebook post by leading candidate Niki Ashton is an important step.

Injustice

“For more than 60 years, Palestine has been struggling to simply exist,” Ashton wrote. She added that she was “honored to stand with many in remembering the Nakba” at a recent event in Montreal that was also “a rally in solidarity with those on hunger strike in Palestine today.”

Ashton added: “The NDP must be a voice for human rights, for peace and justice in the Middle East. I am inspired by all those who in our country are part of this struggle for justice.”

In response to criticism from Israel lobby groups and Conservative Party leadership contender Brad Trost, Ashton stood by her participation in the rally.

“One must speak out in the face of injustice, whether here at home or abroad,” she said, and called for Canada to support “a balanced position and a just peace in the Middle East.”

While Ashton’s move is an important step, grassroots activists shouldn’t be naïve about the array of forces, both within and outside the party, that prefer the status quo. Asking nicely will not spark much-needed change.

Before a “youth issues” leadership debate in Montreal in March, the Young New Democrats of Québec asked the party leadership to include a question about Palestine. They refused.

At the upcoming leadership debates Palestine solidarity activists within the party should press the issue.

Contenders need to answer if they believe it is okay for the New Democratic Party foreign affairs spokesperson to speak at AIPAC or legitimize an explicitly racist institution like the Jewish National Fund.

Comments

Like the NDP, France's Parti Socialiste supports israel, and has made support of BDS punishable with a heavy fine and/or imprisonment.
In the UK Corbyn's efforts to be "stricter" with israel have landed him in hot water with accusations of antisemitism (surprise, surprise), and accusations of more widespread antisemitism in the party. The accusations are from pro-israel lobbyists, such as Labour Friends of Israel.
In The Netherlands the leader of the labour party is Jewish, and not at all critical of israel.
In Germany the relatively new leader of the SDP, Martin Schulz, tried to also listen to the Palestinian side by visiting the Stolen Territories while on a visit to israel last month. Netanyahoo's response was to cancel his meeting with Schulz.

So, social democratic colours do not necessarily mean criticism of israel's policies & system. The NDP, however, seems totally out of touch with its members on this issue. But will it cost it votes?

To my shame Yves , as a Canadian , to my shame such treachery to the Palestinian people.At least the Green showed some cahonies and called it as it is .
At the very least ,Lavedière ,should have shown impartiality .

Nicki I am so proud of you. Even Jews in this country and in Isreal are appalled at the way the Palestinians have been treated. I also admire Jim Manley for him also standing up for the Palestinians. Thank you.

Like, Yves, I am also pretty disgusted by the NDPs latest support of the racist policies of the State of Israel. For years, they were supporting the rights of the Palestinians as well as the rights of those without power. I hope that Niki wins the leadership of the NDP, because it would represent a different direction in the area.

Unfortunately I have not been following the NDP federal leadership convention as closely as I should have. I was hoping that Natan Cullen would have run but I respect his wish not to do so . I met Nathan at a town hall meeting on proportional rep. and asked him to please run and he told me that his young family would suffer because of the work involved. He has always been my first choice. Hopefully Niki will be a good leader if she wins the leadership and as you say ,give the NDP a new direction and a right one at that .We desperately need wise and fair leadership , not what we have seen so fay from the Trudeau failed promises , one after the other.

Nathan seems like a pretty good leader as well as do the other leaders. Charlie Angus seems like a good guy who cares a lot about social justice. The NDP has had a pretty good record in supporting a lot of progressive causes in the past-including Palestinian rights and self-determination, but lately with Tom Mulcair they have taken a different course that has not sit well with many NDP members and others who looked to them to champion "the little guy"(and gal). I found the example of Tommy Douglas taking on the powerful to be an inspiration for all Canadians to fight for things that are worth fighting for. The Greens have moved a lot further than the NDP has on this issue, but Elizabeth May has backed off the resolution on BDS(which was supported by a Jewish member of the Green Party)and that is very disappointing. We have to try to influence these leaders to take the issues we care about seriously. I hope that however wins from this NDP race has the courage to push for BDS or something like it, in order to force Israel to change its ways. We have to remember, as Phyllis Bennis said many times, that the eventual outcome for the future of Israel is not depended on people like myself, who while are very concerned, don't like there. I don't care what the actual configuration is, along as it results in the end of the occupation, and the discriminatory laws that Palestinians and others experience on a daily basis. I would also add the right to return, although I suspect that many Palestinians won't return because sadly there is nothing for them to return to. For those, an apology and some kind of just compensation must be given.